'24' Goes Game

Sean Callery writes propulsive synth scores for the television's 24 every week, but his score for the game based on the show Callery was recorded with a full orchestra in London. Proving they are the most film music friendly studio on Earth, Fox Music has made eleven minutes of the game score available to download (for $6.99) on their website. For more, check out the 24: The Game page at Foxmusic.com.

Richard Einhorn's 'The Prowler'

If there is one segment of film fandom you can always count on it is the horror movie fan. They will likely accept any product of varying quality and find the good in it. Fright films over the years that have been dubbed "classics" are really just lame ducks that have struck a chord in the viewer's psyche and remained there, slowly dissolving like a Tylenol. A lot of people born in the very late '70s and reared in the '80s can tell you, there was no better time for horror movies -- good, bad and downright craptacular (and we often remember these the most). It was a time where boobs and blood filled the screen, and images of sadistic grue warped our pre-pubescent minds.

I'm reminiscing here for a reason. Tonight I watched Blue Underground's DVD presentation of Joseph (Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter -- that's part 4 for you regular people) Zito's The Prowler (1981). This was one in a wave of early '80s slasher pictures made to capitalize on the success of John Carpenter's Halloween and Sean Cunningham's Friday The 13th.

The film proposes that a crazed WW2 soldier returns to American from battle, only to find he has been dumped by his gal while he was gone. Unable to fathom life without his beloved dame, he straps on his army gear and skewers her and her new boyfriend with a pitchfork while they make out. We flashforward thirty years to the present (1980) day to pick up the story, where our killer goes on the prowl once again...

I'm not really reviewing the movie here; instead I'd like to highlight the score, by composer Richard Einhorn. Einhorn has been busy lately writing serious documentary scores and classical pieces. His work "Voices of Light" was used prominently in K:19 The Widowmaker when it was clear that Klaus Badelt's original score wasn't cutting it emotionally. Surprisingly, Richard does not list The Prowler amongst the credits on his website. However, I suppose any composer who has made a career writing large scale orchestral and choral symphonies has left the low-budget slasher horror world behind.

P erformed and recorded in New York, Einhorn's score for The Prowler is a successful cross-breed of Harry Manfredini's scores for the first three Friday The 13th films and the avant-garde Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki's works sampled in Kubrick's The Shining. It is a deadly serious, taught and frightening score that eschews melody for brilliant orchestral effects to goose the audience. It's the kind of horror score that is always interesting, always moving, and atmospheric without resorting to synths -- which were probably cheaper and in fashion at the time.

Unfortunately I have been unable to track down info on a soundtrack album, so it seems like one may never have been released (perhaps due to AFM re-use fees?). A score like The Prowler really does deserve a second life as a soundtrack album and an independent label could produce and release a title like this and see solid sales. Remember, those horror fans sure are loyal.

For more info on the composer: richardeinhorn.com

Shore's 'Ultimate'

Doug Adams has uploaded a special sneak preview of Howard Shore's videogame score for Soul of The Ultimate Nation. The music sampled is a gigantic combination of Shore's Rings and Ed Wood scores (if you can believe that). Link to the podcast and purchasing info are available on the FSM discussion board.

More 'Notes in the Dark'

Ellen Edgerton's blog Notes in the Dark lives! Many may not know this, but Ellen's film music blog was the first of it's kind (inspiring this blog among others), even appearing long before the rabid blogging craze possessed the internet, forever altering the face of not only online journalism, but "old media" as well. So rotund soundtrack fanboys, make Ellen's blog a daily stop like that trip through the Krispy Kream drive-thru.

Intrada: "Black Widow"

Intrada Announces:

Black Widow - Composed and Conducted by Michael Small
Intrada Special Collection Volume 29

In 1987, the 20th Century Fox thriller Black Widow hit the screens, starring Debra Winger and Theresa Russell. A deadly seductress marries a series of wealthy men, murders them, collects their estates, and gets away with her crimes thanks to her assumption of multiple identities. But an equally clever female adversary from the Justice Department is soon on her trail and becomes as bewitched as she is repelled by the Black Widow.

Although Michael Small's score for Black Widow includes a virtuoso display of woodwinds, vibes, harp, and percussion, strings are the stars here: 22 violins, 10 violas, 10 cellos, and four basses. As Bernard Herrmann did with his score for Psycho, Small utilizes the strings to create a piercing psychological intensity. Small's dark, mordant music helped define the sound of thrillers in the '70s and '80s, and this release provides a generous helping of that ground-breaking sound.

This Intrada Special Collection release, edited and mastered from the original stereo session masters, is limited to 1200 copies.

In stock 2/17/2005
For artwork, tracklist, and to order, please visit Intrada.com

Horror scorers

La-La Land Records pulled together a stable of composers for a signing at Dark Delicacies (a horror-themed book, movie, misc. store) in Los Angeles this past Sunday. In attendance: Brian Tyler, Christopher Lennertz, Christopher Young, John Harrison, Nathan Barr and Tyler Bates. The filmmusic nerd/fandom got to meet and greet with the composers who were onhand to sign copies of their scores and dole out a few choice freebies to lucky purchasers.

For photos of the event and the current state of filmmusic fashion, check out Jon Broxton's spread at MovieMusicUK and Dan Goldwasser's coverage at SoundtrackNet.

Cinemusic hates spam!

With spam blogs running rampant, Blogger has cracked down on the perps. In the process some innocents - like myself - have had their blogs locked. Who knew? Is it the orange color? I guess the tips on the next Varese club titles will have to wait...

Akira Ifukube dies

Known to filmmusic fans as the man behind the music for the Godzilla films, Akira Ifukube died today. He was 91. For more, visit Mainichi Daily News.

Oscar -- you bitch!

Okay, so there are folks who are happy with this year's musical Oscar noms for "Best Score" and "Best Song". Yet I can't help but feel that this is the most generic crop of nominees in recent memory (aside from the Williams nods - go John - who will remember Brokeback Mountain and The Constant Gardener's contributions to this musical genre?)-- particularly the song nominations. The Academy's nomination process is bizarre -- you might say ridiculous -- and reflects more a desire to underline their pseudo-hip urbanity then to celebrate quality film music craftmanship and artistry.

So, congratulations to the nominees, yada, yada...!

Best Original Score - Nominees

Brokeback Mountain - Gustavo Santaolalla
The Constant Gardener - Alberto Iglesias
Memoirs of A Geisha - John Williams
Munich - John Williams
Pride & Prejudice - Dario Marianelli

Best Original Song - Nominees

"In the Deep" from Crash
"It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" - Hustle & Flow
"Travelin' Through" - Transamerica

'Medievil' OST due

Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., through a licensing relationship with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd (SCEE), is pleased to announce their first release of 2006: MediEvil Resurrection -- Original Soundtrack. The soundtrack album from the third title in the multi-million selling MediEvil series, developed by SCEE's Cambridge Studio, is now available at European and US retail outlets through Nile Rodgers' Sumthing Else Music Works label, the industry leader for licensing and distributing videogame soundtracks.

The MediEvil Resurrection Original Soundtrack encompasses an eclectic mix of styles that reflects both the gothic horror and the irreverent humour of the MediEvil series. Featuring original compositions as well as new arrangements of the previous MediEvil game scores written by Bob and Barn, the re-mastered score was orchestrated by Nic Raine and recorded by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir in the Czech Republic. For music samples please visit www.bobandbarn.com.

Piers Jackson, producer of MediEvil Resurrection, said, "I've often heard Bob and Barn state that of all the games they have worked on MediEvil is their most requested soundtrack, so for all of you who have been waiting for it, and for all of you to whom this is the first outing, I hope you gain as much enjoyment from it as I have."

MediEvil Resurrection is a hilarious action adventure game designed exclusively for PSP that sees the return of the 'fearless' knight, Sir Daniel Fortesque. In his latest misadventure, Dan 'bravely' attempts to rescue the land of Gallowmere from the evil Zarok and in death, becomes the hero he never was in life. Inspired by the myths, characters, and environments of the PS One games, the beloved MediEvil franchise comes to the PSP with new characters, environments, mini-games, and more!